February 5, 2013
Netflix’s House of Cards, episode one – review
Netflix’s remake of House of Cards is stylistically and amorally faithful to the original BBC political thriller, with Kevin Spacey giving a strong central performance
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February 4, 2013
UK Takes On ‘Too Big To Fail’ Banks
There is no political will in the United States to do what’s necessary to make sure we don’t see a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown. The reason might be more complex, but at the root of it is this: money in politics. Our elected officials are beholden to the banks, not the citizens. Across the pond, some are showing the political courage necessary to stabilize the financial system, and make it more amiable to the average person. If successful, banks in the UK will no longer be able to gamble with customer deposits. No longer will banks lean on taxpayer bailouts to hedge against unnecessary risk.
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February 4, 2013
Shocking News! Donald Trump Can’t Take Criticism
Indulge me while I take a brief moment to talk about part-time real estate tycoon and full-time jackass (hmm, that sounds eerily familiar), Donald Trump.
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January 31, 2013
Insomniac Edition: David Bowie – Modern Love (1983)
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January 31, 2013
Pennsylvania’s Totalitarian Liquor Laws: Could Privatization Be In Sight?
For most Americans in a majority of states, beer and other alcoholic products are readily available in many private retail outlets. That is not the case in Pennsylvania, which is one of 18 “control states.” It seems that the effects of prohibition still have not worn off in the Keystone State.
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January 31, 2013
Iraq War Hawks (John McCain), Have Reason To Whitewash History
I can’t say that I know what makes Senator John McCain tick, but it seems clear that many Iraq war hawks have nothing to lose in their attempts to rewrite history.
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January 30, 2013
A Perverse Thought On Objections To High-Capacity Magazine Limits
During congressional testimony on Wednesday, Mark Kelly, husband of Tuscon shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords, spoke of the 33-round magazine that Jared Loughner used to inflict severe injury and death upon 20 human beings. Kelly said, “He unloaded the contents of that magazine in 15 seconds — The first bullet went into Gabby’s head. Bullet No. 13 went into a 9-year-old girl.” That 9-year old girl was Christina Taylor Green, who was the youngest victim of the Tuscon shooting.
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January 29, 2013
Immigration Reform: Republicans Require Politically Advantageous Human Rights
Have you noticed this trend? — Republicans have a nasty habit of waiting until their position is politically untenable before they shift course and adopt a specific human rights cause. They do it time and time again. And let me clarify, I’m not talking about all Republicans, I’m talking about — old school, head in the sand, my way or the highway, cling to my guns and my religion — right-wing extremists. The problem is that many Republicans and conservatives have a hard time ignoring what should be the fringe and instead cater to it. So while not all Republicans have gone AWOL on human benevolence, all Republicans are culpable for the offensive and out of touch rhetoric and policies of their party.
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January 29, 2013
The Second Amendment You Say?
At a hearing before the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group in Hartford, CT, Neil Heslin faced shouts of “The Second Amendment!” as he delivered his testimony. Heslin is the father of 6-year old Jesse Lewis, a victim of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
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January 28, 2013
Insomniac Edition: Lenny Kravitz Crashes Choir In New Orleans For “Fly Away”
Lenny Kravitz is in New Orleans, sitting on a terrace having a drink, when hark, “strange music” begins to call his name. He investigates and then crashes a choir performance of “Fly Away”.
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